Since they are cold blooded the turtles need the warm of the sun to really get moving. Rocks in the middle of the river provide a great opportunity to soak up the sun’s energy in a place where they won’t likely be disturbed.

When I found this Eastern River Cooter warming on the rocks the sun’s rays had just made their way over the trees on the river bank.

Despite the rough surf and rocks of Panalu’u Bay, Hawaii the beach is frequented by Green Sea Turtles. These two were taking a well deserved rest on the black sand after braving the conditions to make it to the beach.

This small Eastern River Cooter was basking on a sunny log in the Rappahannock River as a paddled my canoe past it last July. I don’t know much about the turtles of Virginia so I may have misidentified this one.

The Rat Snake is quite a capable climber. This individual took to the trees when we met each other on a lakeside trail in Central Virginia. It seemed to be just as happy making its way through the branches as it was winding across the forest floor.